Characters / The Storyteller

Main Characters

The Storyteller

The Storyteller

"I am a teller of stories, a weaver of dreams. I can dance, sing, and in the right weather I can stand on my head. I know seven words of Latin, I have a little magic, and a trick or two. I know the proper way to meet a Dragon, I can fight dirty but not fair, I once swallowed thirty oysters in a minute. I am not domestic, I am a luxury, and in that sense, necessary."

Appearances: The StoryTeller | The StoryTeller: Witches | The StoryTeller: Dragons | The StoryTeller: Giants

Played by: John Hurt

The title character, not much is known about him except his wealth of stories. He's so good that he's even been in royal service on occasion.

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• Ambiguously Human: While there's nothing explicitly saying he isn't human, those ears and that nose, combined with his overall demeanor, give the impression that he might be some kind of faerie. On the other hand, The Witch Baby depicts him as a younger man with red hair indicating he is one hundred percent mortal.
• Classy Cravat: Wears a nice white one to go with his waistcoat.
• A Day in the Limelight:
  • He's the protagonist of one episode, "A Story Short."
  • He makes an appearance in "Hans, My Hedgehog" as a fortune teller, and implies that he attended the wedding party.
• Fortune Teller: As a sideline, he can tell one's future with Tarot Cards. Unfortunately the king he did this for in "Hans, My Hedgehog" wasn't pleased with the outcome and he was briefly thrown in the dungeon, which probably explains why he mainly sticks to storytelling. He does again in the graphic novels though.
• Large Ham: It comes with the job.
• Lemony Narrator: He usually told the story normally, but occasionally slipped into this trope. Take this gem from "The Soldier and Death:"
  Storyteller: "Death, a prisoner." The news went from one of the Tsar's 50 wives to the other, spread through the town as fast as gossip, which is what it was and nothing travels faster. And within four and a half minutes, the whole town knew. And within seventeen minutes, the whole country knew. And by the following morning, it was the talking point of a thousand languages! "Death, a prisoner!" "Muerte, un prisionare!" "Tot, ein Gefangener!" "Smierz uns Nize!" ({{Beat.}}) I've forgotten the Greek...
  Dog: Ed mellitistone fon Thanatos.
  Storyteller (as if saying "that's it, thank you"): Exactly.
• Mysterious Past/Riddle for the Ages: It's never explained why The Storyteller dropped into poverty (from "A Story Short"), how he met the soldier who caught Death (from "The Soldier and Death"), or how he got into fortune telling (from "Hans, My Hedgehog").
• No Name Given: He's just the Storyteller.
• Pajama-Clad Hero: He's always wearing a patchwork dressing gown. Even during that one time when he was reduced to begging, he still wore it while wandering the streets.
• The Storyteller: It's what he does, in fact it's how he earns his keep.
• Trickster Mentor: He's really good at surviving by his wits. As just one example, in "A Story Short," he convinces the cook to let him eat at the kitchen by claiming to know how to make a soup with only a stone.
• Waistcoat of Style: Wears a nice red one underneath his dressing gown that wouldn't be out of place in the Shire.

The Dog

The Dog

"I'm a dog! It's my business to bite people!"

Appearances: The StoryTeller | The StoryTeller: Greek Myths | The StoryTeller: Witches | The StoryTeller: Dragons | The StoryTeller: Giants

Performed by: Brian Henson

The Storyteller's canine companion, always eager to hear his master's stories. He's almost always hungry. He also has the distinction of being the only character to appear in both the main series and the sister series Greek Myths.

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• Audience Surrogate: His role in Greek Myths. When someone dies, he'll act horrified. When something divinely weird happens, he'll ask for clarification.
• Deadpan Snarker: Dog loves making snarky comments.
• A Dog Named "Dog". Well he's called the Dog in the credits.
• Greek Chorus: His main function is to ask questions and comment on the stories.
• No Hero to His Valet: To the Greek Storyteller, mainly because of how stupid his master's actions were that got them both thrown into the Labyrinth.
• Talking Animal: Well it is a Jim Henson production.
• Vocal Evolution: His voice starts out very deep in the original show, but then gets higher for Greek Myths.

The Greek Storyteller

The Greek Storyteller

"If I told the whole story your head would burst. There is no one story, there are branches, rooms, like this place. Rooms, corridors, dead ends."

Appearances: The StoryTeller: Greek Myths

Played by: Michael Gambon

An Athenian from Ancient Greece, well learned in the ancient myths. He's a more dubious character than his Medieval counterpart and ends up trapped in the Labyrinth after offending the residents of Crete.

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• Connected All Along: What he claims about the myths he tells — that they are only branches of one bigger story. He's right; the story of Daedalus is part of the story of Theseus and the Minotaur, Orpheus and Eurydice is but a branch of the tale of Jason and the Golden Fleece.
• Contrasting Sequel Main Character: While the main Storyteller had an Ambiguously Human look befitting a faerie tale character, there's no question that this one is human. The main Storyteller's tales are obscure, while the Greek Storyteller's tales are some of the most famous in history. The main Storyteller is warm and jovial, the Greek one is cold and melancholic and not quite as clever or as wise as his Medieval counterpart. The main Storyteller tells stories to earn his bread and butter, while it's not entirely clear what the Greek one's primary occupation is. The main Storyteller's clothes are clean, while the Greek Storyteller's toga and robes are dirty and soiled, suggesting a live of poverty and hardship.
• Dark and Troubled Past: Befitting a protagonist who lives in Ancient Greece; we know little about him save he's an Athenian who apparently needed money so bad he had to rob the dead.
• Dramatic Irony: A purveyor of the ancient myths who ends up being imprisoned in the infamous Labyrinth of Knossos.
• Dramatically Missing the Point: Of his own myths, which show the consequences of hubris or insulting the gods; yet he thought it was a good idea to rob the dead.
• Idiot Ball: Decided to come to the Island of Crete (which doesn't have the best relationship with Athens) to rob their dead. He ends up trapped in the Labyrinth for his troubles; the fact that his city's patron goddess is Athena the Goddess of Wisdom, makes his decision even more stupid.
• Large Ham: He has his moments when narrating, especially when he gets to the climax.
• No Name Given: Just like his Medieval counterpart.
• Perma-Stubble: Has a five o'clock shadow befitting his poor, dis-shelved look.
• Robbing the Dead: Or as he puts "exchanging their coins for smaller valuables"; this is a very grave offense as the dead of Ancient Greece were buried with coins to pay the ferryman of Hades; without it they'd be stuck on the banks of the River Styx. The Dog lampshades how stupid that was.
  The Dog: That's insulting! The Gods notice and they know you insult them!
• The Storyteller: One specializing in the Greek myths, which in this setting actually happened.
• You Do Not Want To Know: He visited the Oracle of Delphi once and asked about his future. He was disappointed about what he heard and advises other to not even bother to ask her.
  Greek Storyteller: I visited the Oracle once. Never ask. You never hear what you hope for.